Friday Lunch in Brooklyn

[Vinotas]

A friend in the wine business offered to drive to Brooklyn to visit some places for lunch on a rainy, dreary Friday, so I quickly jumped at the offer. “I heard of a place that makes great Pho, and if we’re still hungry we can grab a Gyro too,” he said. Being a big fan of Vietnamese cuisine, and particularly of that wonderful broth called Pho, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to not only visit Brooklyn again but also enjoy some real ethnic food. Why not just go to Chinatown, you ask? Well, it’s always nice to visit other parts of the city, and things in Chinatown aren’t as authentic as they used to be. Plus, he was driving, so I wasn’t going to argue.

We headed out into the cold rain and crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, looking as lovely in the mist as under a bright sun. Once on the Belt Parkway, happy memories from my childhood visits to my family in Bay Ridge flooded back, making this a trip down memory lane as well. The Verrazzano Bridge extended its gray bulk into the rain, making things look both dreary and magical at the same time. God, I love this city.

“OK, it’s somewhere around here,” my friend said as we rolled slowly down 86th Street, passing Bay Parkway. “What? You don’t have the exact address?” I asked. “No, I just know it’s got brown doors,” was the answer. Great. That simplifies things. A few minutes later, we knew we’d found it by the name above a brown façade: Phó Tây Hô.

By now, we were starving, so we sat down and perused the huge menu, even though we knew what we wanted. Still, we ordered a plate of summer rolls, crunchy and fresh, with big, bright shrimp in thin casings with peanut sauce, something to munch on while we waited for our Pho. Delicious. Then came the pièce de résistance: a HUGE bowl of Pho, still bubbling from the heat, full of organ meats and noodles, the broth giving off lovely herbal and meaty aromas. Wow. Now that’s what I call a bowl of soup! And it truly was delicious, all the different meats (tendon and tripe, for example) soft yet retaining their own textures and tastes. The flavors were bright and sharp, with Thai basil sprucing things up.

We sat there for an hour, enjoying the experience, feeling like tourists in our own town.

Getting back into the car, we cruised down Coney Island Avenue to Sahara’s, a Turkish restaurant that also offers a take-out section. We both ordered what was supposed to be the specialty, lamb gyro with the fixings. Having grown up with Middle-Eastern food, I was really looking forward to trying this. The meat was moist on the spit, all the condiments looked fresh, and the pita bread was thin, like good pita should be.

Yet it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I was slightly disappointed, to be honest. The lettuce and onions were almost freezing cold, and the lamb, while flavorful and moist, was quickly overpowered by the sauces they used. Not terrible, mind you, but I had expected and hoped for better. Ah well, c'est la vie! It was good enough to eat as I was still hungry.

Now stuffed, we headed back into the city, driving down Smith Street and past its colorful gentrified sidewalks. We crossed the beautiful bridge, saying goodbye to Brooklyn, at least for now.

Pictures can be found HERE.

Cheers!

Edited February 3, 2008 by Vinotas (log)

[Steve R.]

Nice catch on the pho. Not sure exactly where you went, but there are more than a couple of worthwhile places around 86th these days, including a Szechuan place at 8701 5th Ave that's worth a visit if anyone's around the neighborhood.

As for Sahara, the front takeout part was the entire place when it gained its reputation as a destination for Turkish food and a cab driver favorite. Now, 15 years later, it's a very mediocre and over-expanded restaurant that churns out uneven cuts of meat with very watery, bland condiments and overcooked sides. I'm never quite sure why so many Turkish families still eat there (and they do), especially since this neighborhood has several other better choices. There's a place called Limon (spelling is probably wrong there) in Sheepshead Bay that has a following (I've never been) and there's Taci's only 3-5 blocks away from Sahara on Coney Island Ave with much better food (although not a take out joint). Lots of Turkish take-out places dotting the neighborhood as well. Even better is the kosher dairy joint (Famous Pita) on CIA closer to Prospect Park, if you want the Middle Eastern food without the meat (do it yourself falaffel w/salad bar). And the Afghan/Pakistanian neighborhood, also on CIA toward PP, with lots of kebab places that have meat far better than Sahara. Of course, you're pretty close to DiFara's pizza around there as well (and the small Ave U. Chinatown), but that's another whole kettle of sauce.

[Vinotas]

Thanks Steve, on our next foray into the wilds of Brooklyn we'll be sure to stop by those places. My buddy loves to drive out to the boroughs since he's got a car and can use it for business as well.

The Pho place was between Bay Parkway and 24th, I believe. It was sensational.

And we actually discussed stopping at DiFara's, but were so full after the gyro that we decided to call it quits.

Cheers!

[abooja]

It's got to be between either Bay Parkway & 23rd Avenue or Bay Parkway and 21st Avenue (Bay Parkway essentially being 22nd Avenue).

Wow, I am astounded. I spent the first 30 years of my life in Bensonhurst, and there was never anything remotely interesting to eat there, save at L&B Spumoni Gardens. Now that I think of it, my mother did mention going to a new Vietnamese restaurant on 86th Street. Given my parents proclivity towards pasta and more pasta, I couldn't imagine what they had ordered. Clearly, I am going to have to grill them on this.

I've actually been to Sahara as well, with my mother (the more adventurous eater of the pair). It was huge, but the food wasn't terribly impressive. That was around four or five years ago.